CCNY CIVIL ENGINEERING MAJOR YURINTZY ESTRADA WINS AMERICAN PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION FOUNDATION AWARD

NEW YORK, November 18, 2005 – Yurintzy Estrada, a senior majoring in civil engineering at The City College of New York (CCNY), received the Parsons Brinckerhoff-Jim Lammie Scholarship from the American Public Transportation Foundation (APTF).

The scholarship, which includes a $5,000 award, is given to an applicant dedicated to a career in public transportation industry.  Ms. Estrada was one of 15 students nationally honored by APTF at its recent 2005 international expo in Dallas.

“Transportation is the backbone of many great cities,” said Ms. Estrada, who works part time for the transportation and infrastructure firm DMJM Harris. “Thousands of people are dependent on the effectiveness of mass transportation and would be unable to work or live without it.”

A Washington Heights resident whose parents came to the United States from Mexico when she was two, much of her interest in public transportation stems from her family history.

 “One of my biggest concerns is to improve the quality of life for people such as immigrant families, who may not be able to afford a car and have to endure long commutes just to get to work,” Ms. Estrada said.

Dr. Michel Ghosn, a Professor of Civil Engineering in The City College School of Engineering who has mentored Ms. Estrada, said the APTF award was fitting recognition of the quality and skills of CCNY students and Ms. Estrada in particular.

“She is an intelligent and hardworking student who has distinguished herself academically and professionally at DMJM Harris,” he added.

Over the summer, she was part of a DMJM Harris structural analysis team that worked on the design for the JetBlue terminal expansion at John F. Kennedy International Airport.

Ms. Estrada is a member of the National Golden Key and Chi Epsilon Civil Engineering honor societies.  

About The City College of New York

For 158 years, The City College of New York has provided a high-quality affordable education for New Yorkers in a wide variety of disciplines.  Over 12,200 students pursue undergraduate and graduate degrees in the College of Liberal Arts and Science, the School of Education, the School of Architecture, the School of Engineering, and the Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education.